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Tag Archives: NYC

I could not believe my eyes. Last Thursday I was sitting in class when I stumbled across this party in Bedford, Brooklyn. Tanner Ross + Slow Hands, Soul Clap and Wolf + Lamb. All of these house magicians in a newly opened (January 2013) Brooklyn club called the Output. I didn’t have my credit card with me so I quickly ran to my dorm to pick it up and ran back to class. My professor didn’t even notice me being away, that’s shows how excited I was. One minute later – score! – I’m gonna have a fantastic night in the city!

I looked at their website at everything looked cool. It was certain that they spent a lot of time perfecting their mission statement, club interior and exterior, social media and of course, their listings. In the Netherlands a line up like this one would’ve been sold out months before the actual date. This event wasn’t sold out which shows how far behind the New York City house scene is. It’s strange when you think about it, as the roots of electronic music are in the United States, while it’s way more popular in Berlin, Amsterdam, London, Paris, et cetera.

Anyway, once arrived at the club at a ridiculous late time (2 am), there still was a line. The line took fairly long but it seems that normally the line in front of the entrance goes even across the street. Apparently, this house club is exactly what Brooklyn – or NYC more generally – needed.

The bouncers were friendly and laid back, though strict enough. They check your bag, search your coat and pockets and if nothing’s suspicious, you’re all set to go in. The Output has a mandatory cloak room. I brought a bag with me and put my coat inside. It only cost me $3 which is extremely reasonable compared to Manhattan clubs.

The club has only one stage but it’s two levels high. There’s four stairs so people can always find a way downstairs without getting lost between the crowd. The crowd is very pleasant. They’re all young, beautiful people who clearly have a thing for house music. They’re stylish, but not overdressed, nor underdressed. I think the average age is about 25 years old and the ratio men/women is approximately 65/35.

When I was waiting in line by myself, I met two guys who live in New York. One of them lives in a spacious apartment in the TriBeCa area, the other one – allegedly – in a shitty Brooklyn apartment. It doesn’t matter, they were nice to me and I enjoyed spending time with them. I’ve noticed that many Brooklyn residents are open to the rookies in town and love to tell you about their experiences and recommendations. Big plus for me as I like talking to people I’ve never spoken to before, and because I like exploring new places.

Okay, so the club just opened a couple of months ago. The dance floor is in superb condition, as well as the simple decor and couches on the second floor (there’s ample space for people to sit in case you need to cool down for a bit or just want to chill). It wasn’t terribly hot inside the club, something that usually bothers me when I’m out. In fact, there was enough air around everyone to breath and to even shake our hips to the beats.

The Funktion One sound system is – of course – top notch. Very nice to listen to, especially because I didn’t bring earplugs with me and at the end of the night, my ears didn’t hurt at all.

There are multiple full bars in the club on both floors. It doesn’t take long before you’re served. If you give a big bill, don’t forget to ask back your change because the girl who served me brutally gave herself a $6 tip. I couldn’t care too much though, I was pretty impressed by the looks and everything of this club. Note that they stop serving alcohol after 4 am.

Smoking inside is prohibited. Please be careful if you decide to smoke inside, because security walks around with flashlights shining on the floor looking for burning cigarette buds. This girl next to me on the dance floor was blamed for smoking while it was actually a guy who was playing dumb but still checking out the situation. Good way of ruining someone else’s evening as she was almost kicked out of the club. Smoking happens in a designated area outside.

Another thing they have is not allowing phones inside. Obviously you’re allowed to make a phone call or text someone but taking photos or videos is an absolute no go. And don’t try it out because I’ve heard stories about people getting warnings and stuff from the security. I don’t know if it’s true, but the night is better without a phone anyway. Just enjoy the music instead of twittering and instagramming all the time.

General information

Address: 74 Wythe Ave, Brooklyn
Closest subway: Bedford (L train), Nassau (G train) – they’re only a couple of blocks away, no need for a cab
Minimum age: 21+
Price category: $$$
Other: Once you leave the club, you can’t get in again without paying for a new ticket. This goes for most NYC clubs.

I can definitely recommend this place to all of you. I had a brilliant night surrounded by fine people and beautiful tunes to listen to.

Before I forget, here’s a little recap of my night; When I walked into the club, Tanner Ross and Slow Hands were playing “The Blame Game”. The night couldn’t have started any better! They absolutely blew my mind. It was a live concert, both of them were singing and Tanner Ross was spinning the wheels. They played on the actual stage, but when they finished, they continued the night playing at a temporary stage in the middle of the crowd, which was pretty cool.

I’m sitting on a bench by the pier in Greenpoint. My view is astonishing, I can’t describe how I’m feeling.

It’s 76 degrees, I’m in Brooklyn and looking at the big island called Manhattan. From every place I’ve been in the city so far, this is absolutely my favourite place.

While I’m looking at the o-so polished Manhattan midtown, I feel such a big gap between these two boroughs. Manhattan is clean, fast, extremely touristic and all about money (just to name a few). Brooklyn is tainted in a positive way, full of meaningful graffiti and being different is the most normal thing in the world.

I like this place. I feel inspired, relaxed and nothing’s on my mind except for how amazing this part of town is. I’ve the earbuds of my iPod in and I don’t mind that the album I was listening to ended 10, 20 or maybe even 30 minutes ago.

There’s just something magical about this place. I went to Manhattan earlier today and really, there’s such a big difference between the heart of New York and everything outside of the main island Manhattan. This was the third time I went to Brooklyn and for some reason, this place amazes me every time I go here. It feels like home, but differently. Brooklyn is in the capital of the world, though it doesn’t feel like New York. Brooklyn has this weird, laid back ambiance. The people I’ve met are so open to what life has to offer and as opposed to Manhattan, they’re genuinely interested in the words you say. I guess you could say Brooklyn doesn’t have boundaries, it’s mellow though upbeat, it’s young, vibrant, international and it has this original swag. I can’t describe it otherwise, you have to experience to believe it.

At the moment of writing I was at Shea Stadium. It’s a small venue in East Williamsburg, 7 minutes walking distance from the nearest subway (if you wanna go there, take the L train to Brooklyn and hop off at Grand Central/Bushwick). It smells like sweat, their bar is about 3 feet big and their unisex toilets look like ones you’ve never seen before. One of the two restrooms even has a crooked shower. The venue is hidden behind a grey door, very unnoticeable, and you gotta walk up the stairs as it is on the second floor. The venue is twice the size of my living room and there’s couches everywhere, as well as hipsters (everyone wears either Converse, Vans or brothel creepers). The decor doesn’t make sense at all but the bands are cool and energetic.

Before I went to Shea Stadium, I was just wandering around the area. On my left hand, there was a night club and right after that, a furniture shop. The owner was inside and curious as I am I looked inside. I saw this beautiful cat, named Santo and after I finished my cigarette the owner invited me to have a look around and have a shot of some really good vodka. The guy is from Syria and his name is Ibraham. A long time ago he moved here because of the Taliban, crazy Muslim rules and the unpleasant society in Syria. He told me about Muslim stuff in Syria and how he didn’t like living there. The furniture in the shop are all handmade by him. He’s a very positive person and I enjoyed the 10 minutes I spent with him.

I walked out of his shop and went to the venue right next to it. I’m not familiar in Brooklyn, everything is still new and exciting, I’m just trying to discover this place. I asked the bouncer if I could have a sneak peak inside and then someone else showed me the place. It’s small, just like the other two Brooklyn venues I’ve been to, and it looked pretty much alike every other place. I gotta say, the venues are very practical. The bar is located on the side, stage in the middle in the back and merchandise is on the side in the middle. The damage isn’t too bad either most of the times. Count on about 8 to 10 bucks, and a double vodka is far below Manhattan prices. The bouncer gave me directions to Shea Stadium, literally ten steps away from where I was standing.

So how did I end up at this place? On Thursday I went to see one of my favourite bands, We Are Scientists. I bought their CD ‘With Love And Squalor’ 6 years ago in London. I didn’t know them, just liked their album cover so I bought it. Turned out pretty good! They have a British indie sound and are very well received in the UK. In fact, they’re more popular in England than anywhere else. I read they were performing at the GAP store on 34th in midtown Manhattan so I signed up and one week later I was standing in line (in the rain) to see them. 21+ which means free drinks, cool! The gig was simply amazing. They were very talkative and funny but more importantly, they played well. After the concert I talked to Keith Murray, lead singer of the band. I want to explore and experience New York like real New Yorkers do so I asked him what he was going to do this weekend. He said he was going to Shea Stadium to see the Paws (band from Glasgow) and recommended me to go there. So here I am, writing this post on the couch in Shea Stadium (named after the home of the NY Mets).

Keith and I @ Gap

After the gig was finished, I went to this bar called ‘The Anchored Inn’ just around the corner with Keith and the Paws. We talked, drank and laughed. Just wonderful.

Here’s a little shout out to my friends Michalis, Mathias and Phil. Thanks for picking me up in Williamsburg, you guys are the best.